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Building resilience in Burkina Faso

Cassava leaves and dried fish stew, pearl millet couscous with peanuts and baobab leaves dressing, crispy salad with Moringa and sesame seeds…you are not watching Masterchef or reading the menu of a fancy restaurant, but sitting under the shade of a tree in Burkina Faso.

About 50 women are gathered and closely watch the cooking demonstration that is taking place in front of them. We are right next to their cassava plots and market gardens, set up with the support of Self Help Africa and its German development partners Welthungerhilfe. The demonstration is designed to improve food knowledge and address chronic malnutrition in this remote corner of West Africa.

‘BRACED,’ an acronym for a programme that is seeking to Build Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters, works in parts of Burkina Faso where farmers are vulnerable to climate variations such as droughts and heavy flooding.

Here, chronic malnutrition affects more than 30% of the local population.

The consortium is addressing this issue by encouraging the use of local food products that are both affordable and nutritious. Cooking demonstrations, as well as the promotion of market gardening and poultry farming, form part of the awareness campaign.